Every Christian will come face to face with the doctrine of predestination. It’s inevitable. It’s also one of the hardest doctrines in the Bible to wrestle with. But its equally one of the most rewarding to study.

I want to address several “accusations” against predestination that are often given by those that object. But before I do, let’s make sure we are on the same page about exactly what predestination is and what it isn’t.

Two main views of predestination exist. The first is called the “Prescience view.” This view can be summed up in this way: God looked down through the portals of time and history and saw all those that, when given the chance to accept the Gospel, would do so, and He predestined them to be saved. In other words, God saw everyone in history that would accept the free gift of salvation when given the opportunity and He predestined them to salvation.

The second main view is called the “Augustinian/Reformed view.” This view can be summed up this way: God, before the foundations of time, in His sovereign will, determined who would be predestined to salvation with no merit or effort on the part of any human being. In other words, salvation is entirely in the hands of God and humans play no part in their own salvation.

The difference is important. In the prescience view some people are saved because they hear the Gospel and they exercise their faith in Jesus and accept the Gospel message. In the Augustinian/Reformed view, people hear the Gospel message, and because they have been predestined to salvation, God imparts the faith needed to believe the Gospel message and the dead heart is regenerated (made alive) and that person is born again. In one view (prescience) man plays a part in his own salvation as it’s his faith that causes him to believe. While in the other view (Augustinian/Reformed) God does it all (because man is dead).

While some still hold to the prescience view, reformed Christians believe the Augustinian/Reformed view. It is this view that many find disagreeable. It is objections to this view I want to discuss.

Objection #1: Augustinian/Reformed predestination removes any need for evangelism: Some argue that this form of predestination removes any need for evangelism because if someone is predestined they will eventually be saved. But this shows a fundamental lack of understanding of this biblical doctrine. Here is the simplest way I know to explain it. God has already determined who will be saved. But no one knows who these people are. The Bible says that people are saved by the preaching of the Gospel (Rom. 10:17). And since we don’t know who is predestined and who is not, the Gospel should be preached to all people so God, through the Holy Spirit, can perform His saving work of salvation. In reality, evangelism is at the heart of this view of predestination.

Tim Keller wrote concerning this objection: “We are not supposed to second-guess God. We are never to try to guess who is “elect”—ever! God calls all to repentance and so should we. In fact, the doctrine of election should give us far more hope about working with people. Why? Because no one is a hopeless case! From a human point of view, many look totally hard and lost, but since salvation is by God’s election, we should treat everyone and anyone with hope, since God calls the dead to life through us. Therefore, God’s absolute sovereignty is a motivationto evangelize, not a discouragement.”

Objection #2: This view of predestination drags people kicking and screaming into heaven: The argument goes, “if people don’t have a choice, some people will be forced to be saved against their will because it’s God’s will.” This too misunderstands the clear biblical teaching. Salvation is a free gift, freely offered to those that would receive it. There’s not a single scripture that shows an unwilling person being forced to be saved; what a silly notion. At times, Jesus let people walk away unrepentant (such as the Rich Young Ruler). The invitation of Jesus is simple, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20)

Objection #3: This view of predestination isn’t fair: The first question we have to ask is “whose definition of fair are we using?” If we are using our definition of fair we are doomed from the start. We are riddled with sin and our sin nature corrupts even our understanding of what is fair. So if we aren’t using our definition, we must be using God’s definition of fair. What is God’s definition of fair? Any attempt to know the mind of God and discern His ways is a dangerous step. Here’s what is certain, no one deserves salvation. Grace is “unmerited” (undeserved). We can’t say in one breath that grace is undeserved but that everyone deserves a chance to hear about the grace they don’t deserve. God owes us nothing. If He condemned us all to hell He would be perfectly just and righteous and fair. If God owes us nothing and would be right in condemning us to hell, He is gracious in saving some (but not all). We cannot confess that God would be fair in condemning us all to hell and then accuse Him of being unfair for saving some. That’s like saying the president is unfair for pardoning a few but not all. All are guilty and deserving of punishment, but if the president pardons some he is not unfair, he is merciful. God is merciful for saving some.

Steven Lawson wrote concerning this objection: “Nowhere is God’s sovereignty more clearly demonstrated than in His salvation of the lost. God is free to bestow His saving mercy on whom He pleases. God says, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Ex. 33:19b;Rom. 9:15). He is not obligated to extend His grace to any undeserving sinner. If He were to choose to save none, He would remain perfectly just. He might determine to save a few and still be absolutely holy. Or He could choose to save all. But God is sovereign, and that means He is entirely free to bestow His grace however He will—whether on none, few, or all.

This isn’t meant to be a exegetical outline of the biblical doctrine of predestination. This is meant to be a primer to help us begin to wrestle with this important doctrine. More could be said. More has been said by pastors, scholars, and theologians far more intelligent than me. I encourage you to read their writings.